I was in my early teens and training at my first "Hardcore Gym". This gym was 7,500 sq ft. NO AC, just a bunch of stand up industrial fans. ALL the plates were deep dish Ivanko plates and there was rumbling throughout the entire gym, blended with some old rock cassette tapes that blasted through the gym. Usually AC/DC or Metallica, sometimes Def Leppard. The back 1/3 of the gym was lined up with leg equipment. Plenty of squat racks, 2 leg presses, 2 hack squats, 2 leg extensions, 2 leg … [Read more...]
Days of Thunder…
Last week I got the news that one of my old wrestling teammates had passed away. I moved out of my old hometown almost 11 years ago. That town shaped me and molded me, as it did for many others. If you didn't fight back in that town, you got your a-- handed to you. Thinking of my old teammate, Joe, it reminded me of the tough times we had been through and what we experienced together on the wrestling team. Joe was a tough SOB. He had to be. Our Wrestling Coaches; Coach Scott … [Read more...]
Kettlebell Workouts Anywhere, Anytime
It was the Winter of 2002, maybe 2003..... I remember it was a freezing cold night. I had connected with a Kettlebell instructor to finally purchase my first 2 pairs of Kettlebells. Back then, we would all chat on a Kettlebell forum, sharing training tips and more. I connected with a Coach from NJ and he was getting a 10% discount on the Kettlebells. Back then, they were pricey to say the least. I ordered a pair of 53s and a pair of 70s. Before that, I purchased a DVD and studied how … [Read more...]
9/11 Memories & COVID Reflections
It's interesting how so many of us can remember exactly where we were, who we were with and what we were doing the morning of 9/11. I was a teacher at the elementary school. A 4th year Phys Ed teacher. I was in the library that morning and the librarian always had AM radio news on as she organized books. I walked in just before 9 AM and she started telling me how there was an accident and the news reporters were confused, so they thought 2 planes had crashed over NYC. An hour later, … [Read more...]
How to Build BEAST Athletes Who Dominate, From Youth to D1 to Olympians
When the beginning of COVID locked us all down, I was helping friends near and far with interviews, workouts and support for their gyms. My buddy Jim Kelly reached out to me. Jim is in Iowa operating Citadel BJJ and Eastern Iowa Wrestling Club but we've known one another since the early 2000s when I was starting to put out content and Jim was competing heavily in BJJ / Grappling. This Video was an Awesome QnA loaded with training questions and mindset to help Jim's students. It's great for … [Read more...]
STRONG Life Ep. 242 QnA: In Season Workouts, Ultimate Warrior Lessons & Mental Toughness Training
STRONG Life Podcast ep. 242. Here we GO! In this QnA episode we dive into a variety of topics and they ALL will get you fired up to move forward in Life AND Lifting. … [Read more...]
7 Tips on Developing Superior Physical Conditioning + 19 Sample Underground Strength Workouts
I wrote about “Strong & Useless” in my Encyclopedia of Underground Strength & Conditioning. It’s when an athlete can move big weights on the barbell but can’t do basic bodyweight exercises such as lunges, pull ups, pushups, sprints, and jumps. I always say, Strong is Strong. This is why I don’t chase the 1 RM testing you see so often in high school weight rooms. The first athlete who demonstrated Strong & Useless to me held all the weight room records for his high school … [Read more...]
Can Deadlifts Cure Your Back Pain?
My back was going into spasms on the craziest things: doing dishes, warm ups with DB side raises, bent over row with a light barbell. It felt like a shot of lightning was hitting me in the back. I spoke to some "experts" and they all insisted I was having disc issues. I got tired of hearing how the world was going to end with my "bad back" and decided to go back to something I did in 1996 after my first knee surgery. What is that very thing? Listening to my OWN body & figuring it out on … [Read more...]
STRONG Life Podcast BONUS: Fighting for Milk & Getting TOUGH for LIFE
In this BONUS episode of The STRONG Life Podcast I am interviewed by my old friend and fellow Underground Strength Coach, Paul Webb. We crush this podcast as we discuss the inner working of LIVING a STRONG Life and how it applies to Training, Business & most of all, LIFE. Paul and I met back in 2008 when he attended the first or second Underground Strength Coach Cert. And let me tell you, those early days were TOUGH! We trained non stop for 2 days, coaches athletes and pushed … [Read more...]
240 | Coach JP Mikhael, From Prison to Growing a Gym that Changes Lives
Here we go! STRONG Life Podcast ep. 240 with Strength Coach & Gym owner, JP Mikhael. This is a POWERFUL, inspiring story about overcoming tough times and doing GREAT in this world. Listen to the podcast first and then see the videos of JP's gym in action, M3 Strength & Conditioning. We talk about training and life as always, so prepare to be fired up. … [Read more...]
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